My cat's a treat-o-holic

[cocopuffsmom]

We started giving her Temptations treats right after i adopted her and pretty soon she started sitting in the kitchen just starting at the shelf they come from meow/whining as loud as she could. 

She does this ALL OF THE TIME! Even right after we give her wet food in addition to her dry food every day so I know she can't be THAT hungry lol. 

I try not to reward her with treats when she whines for them, but it's like kitty crack.

She goes running if she even hears a bag that sound alike her treats bag lol 

Anyone have this experience or ideas for ways to retrain her? 

 

[mservant]

I suspect it is quite common, esp with some of the kitty-crack type treats.  I'm lucky as never had a cat that liked those sorts of treats, not sure how I managed that!  It's a difficult habit to break as the cute faces and incessant miaowling are hard to ignore, but either ignore or replace with something healthier you must. I think the most productive thing to do is ignore, leave the room if you have to, and after a short delay try to distract with some non-food oriented activity she loves such as her favourite toy. The basis of this is trying not to reward her current behaviour on site which in her mind will link it to her whines / cute faces and what ever other tactics she employs to win you over or wear you down. Also, try to remove the treats you have been giving and for rewards replace them with ones that are healthier for her: sadly many of these are expensive but there are many on the market, mostly 100% dried proteins like poultry or fish.  There are still health limitations on how many to be given and you should adhere to the manufacturer guidelines for your cat's health.

Mouse has a range of treats from having his regular food (which is a prescription dry one) thrown so he can chase it, freeze dried fish cubes, his daily ration of toothpaste, drinking water from a hand held syringe,  a stinky Valerian toy that has to be sealed and put away because of the smell, laser toy, and DaBird toy. He knows he has to look cute to get treats or have had something he dislikes like claw clipping or a nasty medicine. What each cat will see as treats will vary but I feel as their care givers we can have a big influence on them not all being food driven and the behaviour they learn to exhibit to get what they want. Your cat has not been with you long so now is the time to start.   

   Good luck.  You might need some ear plugs and an eye mask but you can do it!

 

[cocopuffsmom]

Hah! I'm going to have to be a stricter mom I tried to switch out her treats for the super organic healthier ones recently and she stared at it like *** and walked off. lol

 

[mservant]

Yep,  you're going to have to practice being mean!  

    A little retraining for both of you perhaps!

 

[cprcheetah]

My kitties are temptation-a-holics too.  They hear the bag rustling and I have 5 kitties screaming for treats.  They know where I keep them and they leave them alone (on a book shelf and on a shelf in my pantry), but boy if they hear the bag they come a running.  I only give them treats a couple times a day and at various times so they don't 'anticipate' that's when they get fed.  Now dinner time is another story....they have that time down pat.

 

[linda carella]

I have the same thing with my cat. She does not even eat her canned or dried food. I also don't know what to do. She look at me and says mommy please. She only likes temptations nothing else. She is so dam cute. I just cave in.

 

[drbobcat]

I think the DEA is going to investigate these things!  My cat would eat them all day long if we let her.  Some may not approve, but we use them as rewards for good behavior, as a training tool.  We limit her to a max of five a day (about 10 calories).  They aren't bad nutrition, but they should be used as treats only.   It's funny that some of my shelter cats adore Temptations, and others won't even consider them.